Hiring in-house
Pros
- A daily presence, at the heart of the business and the team.
- Deep knowledge of the company, growing over time.
- You can hand over part of running the business, not just advice.
Cons and risks
- Cost: a full-time senior leader is a heavy expense for a small business.
- Time: finding the right person often takes several months.
- Risk of a bad hire: at this level, a wrong hire is costly in money and team morale.
- Dependence: you swap dependence on the owner for dependence on another person if nothing is written down. See the risks of an unstructured business.
Bringing in a fractional right-hand
Pros
- An outside view and experience from many businesses.
- An adjustable commitment: start small, scale up or stop.
- A fast start, with no hiring process.
- Freedom to speak: they have no seat on the org chart to protect.
Cons and risks
- Limited presence: they don't run day-to-day operations.
- Knowledge of the business depends on what you share.
- The risk that everything fades between sessions if nothing is written down.
How it works in detail: fractional right-hand or chief of staff.
The comparison
| In-house hire | Fractional right-hand | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | High, fixed | Moderate, adjustable |
| Time to start | Several months | A few days |
| Presence | Daily | Regular, limited |
| Perspective | Internal | External |
| Manages teams | Yes | No |
| Risk if it goes wrong | High | Low: you stop |
When to choose which
- Fractional first when you need to step back, decide and structure, or when you're not sure what a future deputy's role should be.
- Hire when the business needs someone to run part of the operation day to day, and can afford it.
Often the safest path: start with a fractional right-hand to clarify strategy and organisation, then hire a deputy on a clear job description that the right-hand helps write. The hire then rests on solid ground.
To check whether you need a right-hand: the 10 signs. For the big picture: the right-hand guide.